USWNT to play June friendlies in Brazil one year before 2027 World Cup

USWNT to play June friendlies in Brazil one year before 2027 World Cup

The U.S. women’s national team will travel to Brazil for two friendlies against the 2027 World Cup hosts during the June international window, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday.

The fixtures mark the first time the two teams have faced off in Brazil since 2014. They will play in São Paulo on June 6 and in Fortaleza on June 9.

“I’m so pleased we were able to schedule these games,” USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said in the U.S. Soccer press release. “We want to play the best teams in the most difficult environments at venues across the world as often as we can, and these two games check all those boxes. We need more games in which every fan in the stadium is cheering loudly against us and I’m looking forward seeing how our team performs and grows in these adverse conditions.”

The São Paulo match takes place at the Neo Química Arena, a 49,000 capacity stadium that is home to Corinthians, one of the most storied and beloved clubs in Brazil. That match will be broadcast as a doubleheader on TBS, Max, Telemundo, Universo, and Peacock, airing after the U.S. men’s national team plays a World Cup sendoff friendly against Germany.

The second match in Fortaleza, located in the northeastern region of the country, is at the Arena Castelão, a stadium shared by two second-division Brazilian clubs — Fortaleza and Ceará — with a capacity of 57,000. Both venues will stage World Cup matches next summer as Brazil hosts the women’s tournament for the first time.

These matchups echo a trip the USWNT made to New Zealand in January 2023 before that year’s World Cup, which the Football Ferns co-hosted with Australia.

In addition to the senior-level matches in Brazil, the U.S. Under-23s will travel to Brazil with the senior squad and play a set of games against top professional clubs in São Paulo, according to the release. Hayes has used of the younger women’s national team as a developmental extension of the senior side, so the Brazil trip will offer short and long-term benefits to both groups.